Great Scott ! Is what scientists at the Tsinghua University in Beijing probably exclaimed when they drop a line theirlatest paper . Their research usher how an world - orbiting spacecraft could make use of the growing abundance of space rubble by actually using the dust as propellant , or fuel – just like the DeLorean did in " Back To The Future . "
The research , available onArxiv , presents a possible solution to the growing amount of quad junk in sphere . Aside from legion piece of space vehicle dust there are countless piece of key , micrometeroids , and more , numbering in the millions , in Earth orbit . Even spacecraft like the International Space Station have to be maneouvred occasionally to avoid collision .
In this new solution to the job , a ballistic capsule would turn rubble into a plasm of postitive ion and negatron by heating it to a high temperature , reportsMIT Technology Review . To create this plasma , the spacecraft would sail up debris in a net , focalise on detritus smaller than 10 centimeters ( 4 inch ) in size . A rotating cylinder then grinds the debris into a pulverisation , which is heated , and the ions of which are passed through a potent electric battlefield , generating knife thrust .
The technology has yet to be actually tested , but the possibility seems levelheaded .
Shown is an illustration of how the technology would work . mention : Lan et Alabama
The process is , intelligibly , quite complicated , and there are still a number of unknown quantity . These admit how dissimilar size and character of debris would respond to this process , and what sort of push could be produced . Nonetheless , the researchers are confident , and say their design could be used for interplanetary journeys as well as missions in Earth orbit .
“ In the approximate future , Star Trek will not just be a dream ; human exploration will extend to the deep universe , ” they write in the newspaper .
The design of the ballistic capsule is such that it could hypothetically operate indefinitely in Earth orbit with an almost never - ending supply of fuel . The only limitation would be the source of power the spacecraft itself requires , which could be solar or nuclear accord to the researchers .
